CH. I. BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 13 



island in an inland lake ; it prefers, and indeed is 

 seldom found except in, lakes which lie in a flat or 

 open part of the country, and which have shallows 

 and grassy creeks, as it feeds more on frogs, leeches, 

 and similar productions of such places than on the 

 trout that frequent the more stony and deeper parts 

 of the lake. Apparently from the position of its 

 legs and feet, this diver cannot walk on land, and 

 therefore places her eggs within a very few feet of 

 the water's edge on a flat island where it can reach 

 them by a kind of waddling, seal-like motion. I 

 never found above two eggs in a nest, and do not 

 believe that they ever lay more, although I have 

 been told of three having been procured. The egg 

 is of a long and regular oval form, and large ; the 

 colour is a fine rich brown green with darker spots. 

 This bird appears to have great difficulty in rising 

 from the water on a calm day, and sometimes 

 nothing will induce it to fly, although when once 

 on wing it flies strong and high. When two or 

 more are in company I have never seen them rise ; 

 they appear then to trust more to diving for safety; 

 but when a black-throated diver is alone he will 

 frequently take to flight most unexpectedly and 

 leave the loch altogether. Unluckily, the very 

 great beauty of its plumage, and the rarity and 

 difficulty of procuring it, make this interesting bird 



